Oleobi helps customers by reducing energy consumption and costs

Oleobi designs and manufactures integrated hydraulic systems for energy-intensive industries. Operation monitoring allows optimisation of the total cost of ownership of the units. This results in reduced energy consumption and costs for Oleobi’s customers.

Oleobi is based in Italy and part of the Flodraulic group. They design and manufacture hydraulic power units (HPUs) for industrial applications in various sectors including steel, energy, oil & gas, on-shore and off-shore. The search for an enabling solution for power plant monitoring started from requirements related to the company's strategic business.

Given the technical complexity of the applications, it's essential for Oleobi to guarantee the stability and operational continuity of its HPUs. Furthermore, the continuous improvement of total cost of ownership is an integral part of Oleobi's competitive advantage.

The manufacturer plans to estimate the total cost of ownership in advance, as the average lifetime of the HPUs is about 20 years and because they are used in energy-intensive industries. This makes it possible to clearly demonstrate the magnitude of the operating costs over the entire lifecycle.

The objective was to optimise the total cost of ownership of our power plants, which are supplied to energy-intensive industries and have an average lifetime of 20 years.

The adoption of a solution for the data collection and management process that could put all the pieces together had - and still has - a central role in Oleobi's strategic planning. The choice went to the IXON Cloud solution for its simplicity, flexibility and scalability. These factors enabled the manufacturer to significantly reduce time-to-market. This makes the work of its own technicians and those of its customers easier from the outset. 

The implementation of a service strategy that goes beyond remote maintenance was made possible thanks to the collection of historical and real-time data on IXON Cloud. Predictive and preventive maintenance were included, along with the receipt of alarms and notifications related to critical parameters and thresholds identified by the manufacturer.

The O-Guardian portal is launched

The possibility of using a customisable platform fits well with the company's technology proposition: individual HPUs are designed and built according to customer specifications. This requires a high degree of flexibility in setting parameters and visualising data in dashboards. All information is shared in a recognisable environment, which benefits collaboration with the customer. The O-Guardian monitoring portal was born. The work of Oleobi's system engineers is continuous: the operation and consumption of the plants are constantly optimised to ensure high performance and avoid waste.

 _{O-Guardian, IXON Cloud portal customised by Oleobi}

Service contracts

The extension of the warranty and the level of monitoring activities are agreed with the customer through customised service contracts (silver, gold and platinum levels). These include preventive and predictive maintenance, monitoring the wear status of critical components and consumables (e.g. oil, filters). This ensures their availability and regular replacement.

The next step is reporting. Oleobi exports the data from the IXON Cloud and shares it on a quarterly basis with customers to maintain a constant relationship. Additionally, Oleobi shares the reports with the internal service division, which then has the information to prepare targeted service contracts.

Results

The definition of an IIoT strategy has enabled the company to make a difference to its competitors and achieve tangible results in terms of:

• Continuous efficiency
• Reduced power supply and operating costs
• Close collaboration with the customer
• High value-added service contracts

The archiving of historical data also allows Oleobi to carry out important design improvement activities. Especially analysis based on data from the first year of operation of the plants. This is useful for the construction of new optimised and even better performing units for the benefit of continuous technological development.

Would you like to find out how Oleobi enabled customer Fonderia Ghirlandina to save 250,000 kWh and 60,000 euros in the last year? Read the Ebook 'OEM business strategy to reduce consumption and increase performance'.